Will You Love Me?
by Sincerely-Tragedy
Summary: Ijuuin Kyo is in love with Misaki. Shinnosuke Todou can put two and two together. But what happens when the factors change? What happens when Ijuuin starts showing interest in Todou? Is it real? Or is it just a front, a way for Ijuuin to get under Misaki's skin?
1. Pilot

**Will You love Me**

Pilot Chapter

Todou Shinnosuke wasn't sure what it was that had caused him to suddenly take a different route home from work. Maybe it was the change in weather? Or maybe a sudden feeling of wanderlust had come over him? He had no clue, and he was enjoying the differences, so he wasn't going to complain. After all, it was rather nice to just relax and walk for the sake of walking instead of taking the most efficient way.

Lost in thought, he failed to notice the man standing in his path who'd stopped to check their phone, and as a result, Todou collided into them. A large envelope and an assortment of other papers fell from beneath the arm they'd been safely tucked under, fluttering onto the sidewalk.

"Ah, I'm so sorry!" He apologized, immediately bending down to pick up everything before the breeze blew it all away.

"It's fine. Thank you." A cool voice responded.

Todou's heart skipped a beat, a funny sort of chill running up his spine as he made eye contact with the man he'd run into. "M- Mr. Ijuin!" He swallowed, holding out the dropped materials in shaky hands, his cheeks becoming more and more scarlet in colour.

Kyo Ijuin blinked a few times at the younger man, then a pleasant smile graced his features as he took the materials and tucked his phone back into his pocket. "Ah, you're Misaki's friend, right? Toda, wasn't it?"

Todou's face fell at the sound of the wrong name. "Todou, actually... But, I'm surprised to be bumping into you like this. It's an honour to meet you again." He added, returning the man's smile.

"Todou, right. My apologies for the mistake. And I agree, it is quite surprising, I don't normally walk this way."

Todou's eyes widened. "You, too? I've actually never walked this way before, I just kind of found myself walking..."

"I as well. Perhaps this was Fate pushing us together?" A strange smile crossed Ijuin's face as he leaned in closer to Todou. And amused chuckle leaving him as the young man's face burned a deeper shade of red. "I'm only teasing, Todou."

"R- Right! Obviously, ha ha..." Todou laughed nervously before clearing his throat. "Anyways, it's nice seeing you, but I should be going, I don't want to block the side walk."

"Of course, oh- if you're headed this way as well, we could walk together, if you don't mind, that is."

Todou's face lit up. "No, no, I don't mind at all! I'd love to." Todou's blush intensified as he began walking down the street next to his idol.

Silence passed between them for the first block before Todou managed to work up the courage to say anything. "Um, thanks for inviting Misaki and I over the other day. It meant a lot to me, and I'm positive Misaki enjoyed himself too."

"The pleasure was truly all mine. It's rare that I'm able to entertain for such an extended period of time, so I'm glad you both had a good time."

"I understand that. Sorry for taking up your time, though."

Ijuin emitted a charming laugh. "It's alright, as I just said-"

"That isn't what I meant..." Todou cut him off, biting his lip, now even his ears were beginning to redden. Stopping, he looked down before continuing. "I- I know you really only wanted to see Misaki, and... and that I was only invited so that Misaki wouldn't feel uncomfortable."

Ijuin stared down at the younger man in slight surprise. "To-"

"I- It's okay, really. Just being able to meet you would have been enough for me. The fact that I've been able to meet you multiple times, and even get invited to your home- it's more than anything I could've ever dreamed of. And besides, even I can tell that Misaki is an incredibly dedicated fan, of course he deserves your- uh, attention, more then I do. I'm happy for the time I've gotten to spend around you, even if it's only as front." Todou forced the words out, his blush fading completely as a sad feeling crept into his chest as silence stretched on between them, no words of denial filling the empty space.

A breeze blew past them as cars drove down the street and pedestrians walked between them, not giving the two a second thought.

"You're right, Todou. I wanted Misaki to come over, preferably alone. I wanted to grant him for everything his words have done for me."

Todou's face fell for a moment, but he was soon grinning and making perfect eye contact. "I understand. I hope next time he'll be more comfortable- or maybe I'll find out a good excuse, so you won't have to deal with any me as a third wheel, ha ha..." He continued to smile as he began walking again, hoping to leave the awkwardness behind.

"A third wheel...?" Ijuin repeated thoughtfully under his breath before following after the younger man.

Silence surrounded them once more, lasting for a few blocks as Todou continued to power walk ahead, his mind pre-occupied to the point that he almost forgot that they both probably had somewhere to be. "So, where are you headed anyways, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Hm? Ah, my stop was back a couple blocks actually." Ijuin replied from behind.

A blush returned to his face as he looked around at where they were. His stop was also back quite a ways. "M- mine, too... I probably should have been paying more attention..." He admitted, turning around and heading back, passing by the older man when a hand on his shoulder pulled him to a stop. "Mm?"

Ijuin gripped the young man's shoulder, gaining his attention. "How would you like to come over to my place for a meal sometime, Todou?"

Todou blinked dumbly a few times, cheeks still a rosy shade of pink. "Huh?"

A charming smile appeared on the writer's face as he took in Todou's expression. "Dinner at mine, you and me."

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** **[** _I Don't Care I Ship It_ **blares in the background]**

 **Okay, but in all seriousness, I am shocked no one else has shipped these two. So bam, have the first instalment of 'Will You Love Me'. You can probably count on a few more chapters that will develope this relationship. If that happens you can bet your buckets there will be NSFW content. So if you're looking for that, good for you- if not, so sorry.**

 **The 'T' rating will become necessary as the story progresses, and will likely change to an 'M' rated fic.**


	2. Start of Something New

**Start of Something New**

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ **_I do not own Junjō Romantica or any of its characters, this is just fan made fun. Enjoy!_**

* * *

Todou tore down the sidewalk, dodging past other pedestrians as best he could. It had been ages since he'd missed his alarm- but luckily kendo had kept him in good enough shape that he probably wouldn't be too late for class. Probably being the key word.

His speed began to slow as he neared the university's gate, there wasn't any real reason to go tearing in and risk getting yelled at, he was certain he had time to walk normally once he reached the gate...

 _"I, uh, I have kendo practice, or work, also class... I don't really know if I've got time... S-sorry."_

 _"Calm down, Todou, you're getting ahead of yourself. I haven't said_ when _yet."_

Todou stopped in front of the gates of the university, a blush spreading across his face, all the way to the very tips of his ears. It had been two days since he'd accidentally bumped into Mr. Ijuuin, and today was the day their dinner was planned for. Todou began to shake from trying contain his excitement and nervousness.

"Todou? Are you alright?" Misaki's voice reached his ears as he felt someone poke his shoulder.

"Huh, hm? Oh, yes, I'm fine! 100% okay! Ha, ha, how are you? He smiled brightly, standing up straight and forcing out a laugh.

"I- I'm good, I guess. Are you sure you're alright? You look really red."

"Do I? It's probably from the run here. We should probably start heading to class actually, they should starting soon." Todou evaded, walking through the gates at a quickened pace.

"Um, but classes don't start for another hour. I'm only here because I need to return this book to the library..."

All the colour drained from Todou's face as he turned to look back at his friend. The wind blew by them as Misaki shifted under Todou's blank stare. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Todou looked down at the ground, his entire body slouching. He most certainly was not alright. And it looked like today was going to be a very, very long day.

* * *

"Todou... Todou... Tooooodou."

The young man slowly blinked awake to the sound of a soft voice calling his name. He'd accidentally fallen asleep in front of the university gates while waiting for someone, it was early evening, and Todou had managed to survive all his classes and pull through kendo practice on a very unhealthy lack of proper sleep.

"Mr. Ijuuin?" He asked in a groggy voice as he yawned and tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

"Mm. Have you been waiting long?"

Todou looked up with tired, watery eyes, his head slightly tilted. Still being quite a bit sleepy, it didn't exactly click in his head that it was his idol standing in front of him. "I don't think so... Sorry for falling asleep." He replied, pushing himself up, pulling his bag over his shoulder at the same time. However, while the bag stayed over his shoulder, he did not remain standing on the ground, but instead continued to fall forward.

Ijuuin reacted quickly, gripped the youth around his midsection before he could continue on his course towards the ground. A frown placed itself on the man's face as he looked down at an unfazed Todou. "What time did you go to sleep last night? You look terrible."

"Uhuh, but not as bad as you a few years ago, I heard from Misaki you were a real wreck once. It's not good for your health you know, and your health should come first in all things." Todou babbled, looking at the ground, letting out another yawn.

A small chuckle came from the older man. "I'm touched by your concern, however that was years ago. What we need to worry about at present is you. Dinner can wait for a bit, how would you like to get some coffee, or tea if you prefer?"

Todou turned to face the man, surprised suddenly by the fact that their bodies were now touching, Ijuuin's arm still tight around Todou's waist to keep him steady. "C-coffee sounds great." He stuttered, eyes wide, a Scarlett blush invading his cheeks.

"Mm. Shall we be going then?" Ijuuin smiled pleasantly, his grip refusing to loosen just yet.

 _Thump-thump, thump-thump._

Todou swallowed, nodding. It was then that Ijuuin released him. "Thanks for catching me, I probably would have face planted if you hadn't been so quick." Todou tried to talk calmly, though it wasn't easy with his heart pounding against his rib cage.

"It was my pleasure." Ijuuin replied as he lead Todou to his car. He was half expecting the youth to react dramatically to his car, given its rarity in Japan, but the younger man said nothing, climbing into the passenger side without a single comment.

Slightly miffed, Ijuuin got in on the driver's side, fastening his seat belt in time with the other man before starting the car. They drove in silence for the most part, Todou shifting every so often. Ijuuin was the one to finally break the fragile silence with a displeased sigh.

"It would appear this coffee shop has closed for the evening."

"I- it's fine, I'm wide awake now anyways. Thanks for the concern though." Todou piped up, head tilted down, though his eyes were trained on the road ahead.

"Mm." Was the only response as Ijuuin began driving towards his home. After a short while, he spoke up again. "How do you feel about curry for dinner?"

"It sounds nice to me! Thanks again for inviting me, by the way. I can't quite think of a reason why though..." Todou admitted, turning his head to look out the passenger window.

Ijuuin eyed him for a moment before returning his eyes to the road ahead as they reached a red light. "Why indeed." He murmured under his breath as the light switched to green.

"Hm?"

"Nothing. We're almost there. Oh, and I'll be looking for some honest critique tonight."

"Critique? On what?"

"My cooking, of course."

* * *

The grin on Todou's face seemed permanent as he sat on a barstool in front of the island, flipping through page after page of scrapped manuscripts for _The - Kan_ while Ijuuin began preparing dinner. A warm, almost fantastical, atmosphere filled the room as Todou went from page to page, his cheeks staying a constant rosy pink shade, his eyes portraying pure bliss.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself." Ijuuin commented over his shoulder after the youth had let out another sound of delight.

"Ah, sorry! It's just, all of these are so interesting, and some fit the flow of the manga so well- they help explain certain point of the plot, and why certain actions were taken by characters... It's kind of shocking some of these didn't make it into the final cut, and a little sad too."

"Mm. Well, in the end, the editors and publish decide what actually stays and what gets cut. It can't be helped, I suppose."

"Oh..." Todou's face fell for a moment. "That must be hard."

Ijuuin frowned, moving around the kitchen as he kept a strict eye on everything. "How so?"

"Well, I can tell you put a lot of time and effort into your work, so it must hurt even a little bit to be told that certain things have to get taken out, especially when you've put so much work into them- like this one here, it's even got the screen tones, and yet it's here instead of being in one of the issues." Todou answered, his expression serious.

"I suppose it is a bit bothersome, but to be honest, just being able to publish my work and have other people enjoy it is enough for me."

"Is it really though?" The words left Todou's mouth before he even realized he'd thought them. "I- I'm sorry! A- anyways, the curry is really beginning to smell good, and it looks like he rice might be done soon, too. Ha, ha..."

The youth froze as Ijuuin suddenly appeard in front of him, leaning over the island with his face resting against the palms of his hand, his face centimetres from Todou's own. Making direct eye contact with him."You're a pretty perspective person, Todou. The truth is, you're right. It does hurt me when things get cut, and it really isn't enough that people have enjoyed my work. You see, I'm actually a rather selfish person once someone gets to know me." That same strange smile appeared on his face again. It was the same one that had crossed his lips when he'd run into Todou by accident.

Todou bit the inside of his cheek, put on the spot all of a sudden. "I... I don't think that's quite it. Not exactly..." He began, forcing himself to look away from the other man's gaze. "I think maybe... You just want... Well, q-quality over quantity."

"Mm." Ijuuin vocalized, pushing himself back up and returning to his cooking.

 _Thump-thump, thump-thump._

Todou closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing to help calm the hammering of his heart. He liked to believe that it was working.

"Dinner's ready, I hope you're hungry."

Todou's eyes opened, a calm expression now present on his face. "Yes, thank you."

Ijuuin chuckled as he began filling two plates with curry and rice. "You say 'thank you' and 'sorry' quite a bit, don't you?"

"Ah, sor- I- I mean... Yeah..." Todou sagged in his seat a little, head bent as he felt heat rising in his cheeks again.

"I never said it was a bad thing, you don't need to apologize. It's quite cute, actually." Ijuuin stated, placing a plate down in front of Todou, then taking a seat on the barstool to the man's right.

Todou looked to his left, but hiding his face didn't hide his reddening ears. "Right, right... Um... Thanks for the meal." Todou smiled brightly, picking up his utensil and beginning to eat.

Ijuuin did the same, but ate at a much slower, constant pace. "Please don't feel the need to hold back any complaints. The best way to improve is through constructive criticism."

"That's true, but I'm not sure how much help I can be. I'm not exactly very good in the kitchen- Misaki is though, it probably would've been more productive to ask for his opinion." Todou said before he stuffed a bunch of food in his mouth, regretting the decision to respond.

 _Thump-thump, thump-thump._

"Is that so?" Ijuuin commented, taking another bite of food.

"Y-yeah, and he must be pretty good too, since he's always making the meals at his place apparently." Todou spoke anxiously between mouthfuls, his stomach feeling more and more unsettled with each time he spoke.

"Hm, interesting. However, I don't believe I'm asking for his opinion. I'm asking for yours." Ijuuin smiled pleasantly, propping an elbow on the island and resting his cheek against his palm as he watched the younger man.

Todou swallowed, looking down at his half empty plate, realizing he hadn't really been tasting any of it. "Okay..." Putting some in his mouth, he chewed slowed, savouring every bit of it. It was... actually pretty good. "You made the curry by hand, didn't you? It tastes amazing, Mr. Ijuuin!"

"How could you tell I made it by hand?"

"Well, back when I was kid, I had this neighbour from India, and she would always make her curry from scratch and share some with me..." Todou smiled fondly at the surfacing memories. "My mother was a little jealous of how I would speak so highly of this woman's curry, so one night she made her own, but she used curry powered, and it made it taste pretty dull in comparison. But since she was my mother I never did actually tell her that..." Todou trailed off noticing how much he'd said,

"Mm." Was the only response.

They continued eating in silence, a kind of strange distance in the air between them as Todou tried to think of things to say to break the quietness. He wasn't having much luck with coming up with anything good. His first bought was to ask the other man how his day had been, but a quick look around turned up a cluttered living room, a kitchen that had what was probably day-old dishes still in the sink, and a messy foray lead Todou to believe I hadn't been the best of days. He could ask how he next issue was coming along, but then again, Mr. Ijuuin didn't seem to have invited Todou over to talk about anything like that...

 _Should I... Tell him I'm enjoying the meal? Wait, no... I technically already did that... Argh, why is this so hard!?_

"What's on your mind, Todou?"

The sound of his name caused his cheeks to flush pink. How was he being such a sucker? "Huh?"

Ijuuin still had his cheek rested against the palm of his hand, an amused smile on his face as he pointed at Todou's face. "You've been making this face that's been putting me under the impression you've been thinking about something. It's actually quite an adorable expression- I might want to draw it later."

Todou's eyes widened before he looked away. "I was, uh... I wasn't thinking about anything really."

"Really? Your face is protecting otherwise. Hm..." Ijuuin trailed off, his eyes narrowing as he inspected the other man's face.

"W- what is it?" Todou faced the man with a concerned expression.

"I'll have to ask that you hold still for a moment, Todou."

The younger man blinked at the request, but before he could ask why, Ijuuin gripped his chin lightly and leaned in. Todou's eyes snapped shut on impulse as the other man's face drew closer to his own.

 _Thump-thump, thump-thump._

When the older man pulled away, Todou touched his fingers to the spot on his cheek that Ijuuin's lips had touched, a blush taking over his face and spreading all the way to the very tips of his ears.

Ijuuin wet his lips as he sat back in his seat. "You had a stray piece of rice on your face."

"Thanks." Todou's voice cracked as he bent his head, eyes wide open. Why was his heart so insistent on thundering inside of his chest, slamming rhythmically against his rib cage.

"Not a problem, I-"

Ijuuin was abruptly cut off by the sudden ringing and buzzing of Todou's cell phone, which caused the youth to stiffen up even tighter then a cat being threatened with waiting hose.

"Ah! Sorry. Please excuse me!" Todou exclaimed, getting up and taking his phone into the living room. "H-hello? Shinnosuke speaking."

"Hey, Todou, it's me, someone's called in sick so we need you to come in and cover their shift." One of Todou's colleagues from work answered back.

"Okay, I understand. I'll be there as soon as I can." Todou replied, keeping a calm tone throughout the rest of the call before it was appropriate to hang up. Going back in to the kitchen, he bowed his head to Ijuuin. "S-sorry, but I just got a call from work, so I need to be going, sir."

"Don't worry about it. I can give you a lift if you'd like." Ijuuin offered, getting up from his barstool.

Todou raised his head with an appreciative smile on his face. "Thank you, but I wouldn't want to impose any more than I already have."

Ijuuin was wearing the strange smile again as he reached up, brushing Todou's bands back from his face and messing up the youth's hair in one fluid motion. "I insist, and it's really no trouble at all."

It was at that moment that Todou was certain his heart was going to burst out of his chest. And he wouldn't have wanted it any other way. "Thanks."

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** **And back by popular demand... The second instalment of _Will You Love Me?_ ! A big thanks to everyone who reviewed/faved/followed, and basically just read this. I appreciate it so much! Anyways, until next time!**

 **P.S: Depending on how motivated I am while writing the next chapter, the rating may or may not be change from 'T' to 'M'. If you now what I'm implying ;)**


	3. Calm Before the Storm

**Calm Before the Storm**

It had been a solid week since Ijuuin had dropped Todou off at work, and Todou hadn't seen the man since. The manga artist had texted and called Todou a considerable amount since en, but Todou had always seemed to manage to come up with a reason to avoid seeing the man. Something about the sudden spike in attention the brunette had been giving him was giving the law student a strange feeling in his stomach.

He was almost finished university and needed to focus on finalizing his plans for hate future, instead of entertaining the whims of Ijuuin. And yet...

"Hey, Shinnosuke speaking."

"Ah, Todou! It's Ijuuin, do you have any plans for lunch today?"

Todou sighed internally. What should he do? He was getting pretty tired with bending the truth and picking up more hours at work just so he wouldn't have to see the man. But maybe if he turned him down one more time, he would loose interest? "No, I don't have any plans."

. . .

 _WHAT?!_

Todou froze in the middle of the university hallways as the man on the other end of the phone replied with an unmistakably delighted tone. "Perfect. I'll pick you up in front of the university gates and we'll go out to lunch together. Until then."

"Ah, Mr. Ijuuin, wait!" The line went dead before Todou could get any more words in. Standing in spot with the phone to his ear, he didn't even notice that everyone else had already gone off to their next classes, leaving him standing alone in he middle of the hall.

"Stop loitering in the damn hall!" The Literature professor shouted, knocking Todou out of his trance.

"S-sorry, Mr. Kamijou!" Todou bowed his head in apology before taking off to his next class, trying to ignore the strange feeling that was stirring in the pits of his stomach.

* * *

"Hey, Todou, let's go grab some lunch, I'm _starving_!" Misaki called out to Todou.

"Ah, I'd love too, but I've already made plans to go out to lunch with someone."

"Really? Who?" Misaki asked curiously a he fell into stride beside the taller male.

"Who? Um... Just, you know... Someone else... Another person... That I know..." Todou stumbled, trying to evade the questioning.

"Do I know them?"

"Ah... Yes, you do..."

"Do they go here?"

"No..."

"Are they someone from outside of the university?"

"... Yes..."

"Mmm..." Misaki adorned a very serious look as he walked with Todou. "Oh! Did you get a girlfriend?! Oh, oh! Was it that barista from the Panda Café?"

Todou blinked slowly, then laughed. "Ha, ha, no. Not even close, actually. Nice try, though."

"Really? Ah, come on... I thought I'd hit the nail on e head for sure..." Misaki pouted.

"Better luck next time, man." Todou patted his friend on the shoulder in mock comfort.

"Yeah... Anyways! Have you read e newest issue yet?"

"Issue? Of what?" Todou asked blandly as he opened the door ahead of them, allowing Misaki to exit first.

"What? What do you mean 'of what'? Are you okay?"

Todou frowned at Misaki's extreme action, then a lightbulb lit up in the back of his mind. "Oh, right- the newest issue of _The-Kan_ came out over the break, didn't it? I haven't gotten the chance to check it out yet, was it any good?"

The short brunette gaped at him. "What's that supposed to mean? Of course it was good! Are you sure you don't have some kind of fever? Did you catch malaria or something? Honestly, I think this issue was one of the best! It felt so much mor realistic, like the angles and the plot- it really had a nice flow and stuff." Misaki started to fall into fanmode, but soon came back out of it when he glanced at Todou's distracted expression. Unlike Misaki's temporary adoring one, Todou looked anxious, and seemed to get more so the closer the two got to the gates.

"To-"

"Ah, Todou! Good afternoon."

Misaki froze solid, falling behind Todou as Ijuuin Kyo stepped out of a shiny blue car and waved to Todou, seemingly oblivious of Misaki's presence as he walked around the vehicle to greet Todou.

"Mr. Ijuuin, I didn't expect you to be waiting right outside of the gate." Todou greeted the older man, bowing his head respectfully.

Ijuuin laughed light-heartedly, reaching out to push Todou's bangs back and ruffle up his hair. "Always so formal, Todou. Ah- Misaki, how've you been?"

Misaki reddened in the face as the two men turned their attention on him. "Sorry, I have to be going, right now. Bye!" He exclaimed before tearing off back into the university without another word.

"Misaki-" Todou watched as his friend disappeared from sight. "Misaki?"

"Perhaps he forgot to hand something in to one of his professors." Ijuuin said, that strange smile present across his lips as he stared after the youth. Turning his attention back to Todou, he asked, "Shall we be going, then?"

"I- Sure..." Todou responded, slipped into the passenger seat. Ijuuin held open the door for him. He fastened his seatbelt as Ijuuin closed he passenger door and walked around to the driver's side. Getting in, Ijuuin fastened his seatbelt before starting the car.

"I'm glad you have time to make it out to lunch, I was beginning to ink you were trying to avoid me."

Todou became very alert to the conversation, all thoughts of Misaki fading into the back of his mind. "Wha- no! W-why would I want to avoid you, I mean? Uh..."

"Mm. That's what I thought. I almost stopped by your workplace to see if you were actually working once or twice when you said you were on shift and couldn't make it out."

Todou paled a bit at the confession- not because he hadn't been on shift or anything, but because how much that meant Ijuuin wanted to see him. He let out in awakward laugh. "You shouldn't joke about stuff like that, Mr. Ijuuin."

Ijuuin studied the youth for a moment before replying. " I wasn't joking."

Todou stared back, his face completely blank of emotion, "Oh." He turned his attention forward, focusing on the flow of traffic in front of them. It was a good few minutes before Todou spoke up again. "So, where are we heading, by the way?"

"There's this coffee shop a few blocks from here that does these pretry good subs around this time for a lunch special. If we're lucky, traffic will let us get there before they stop for the day."

"Sounds good. But don't sweat it if we don't make it in time- we can always try again next time."

"Mm." Ijuuin vocalized with a more delighted tone then he did with his usual "Mm"s.

"What is it?"

"You said 'next time'." Ijuuin smiled as he flicked on the left blinker and pulled into a spot by the sidewalk in front of a small café. "Here we are."

Todou got out and waited on the sidewalk for Ijuuin before following the older man into the café.

"Oh! Kyo, it's been awhile!" The barista behind the counter greeted Ijuuin with a heavily American accent. "Oh, and what's this? This is the first time you've brought a date with you." She giggled.

"There's always a first time for everything, Suzi." Ijuuin replied with his usual charming smile on.

"Mhmm... So, I assume you'll be having the usual, but about cutie over there?"

"Huh? Oh... Um..." Todou glanced around, but couldn't see any kind of menu or list of what they had for subs or anything, only the usual beverages that any café would have. "I- I'll just have what he's having, thanks."

"Mmkay!" Suzi beamed, brushing soft brown fringe back from her eyes while she tapped away the orders on the cash register.

"You can go find a seat, I'll cover this." Ijuuin leaned over to speak into Todou's ear, as if not to break the quiet atmosphere of the café.

"Are you sure?"

"Mm. Go pick a good seat."

"A- alright."

The café wasn't exactly huge, but it was still a decent size. With each table arranged to give it a far more open feel. Eyeing each empty table, Todou finally settled on a two chair table in the corner near the window. The table sat in front of the centre of he large bay window, one chair was in front of the wall, while the one opposite had a row of potted plants behind it. It made it seem more secluded, almost cozy.

Todou sat down with his back to the plants and looked out the window. The midsummer sun came through the window at just the right angle that Todou could feel it's warmth without being blinded.

"Nice choice. I usually pick this spot too." Ijuuin commented as he sat down a tray with two large coffees and two white cheddar, ham and mayonnaise subs.

"It's a nice spot, especially at this time of day."

"It's also very intimate, don't you think? Secluded almost."

"Yeah, I thought so too." Todou agreed, distracted by inspecting his coffee and sub.

Ijuuin watched as Todou took his first bite from his sub without complaint. "Are you alright with that kind?"

"Hm?" Todou blinked, his mouth full. "Oh, yeah, it's fine. I didn't really know what they had to offer anyways, and since I'll eat pretty much anything that doesn't eat me first, I don't mind at all." He said after swallowing, then took another bite. After swallowing again, he added, "Thanks for covering this, by the way."

After that they continued to eat and chat about various things. What Todou was studying, what he had planned after university. They also talked about the weather, current events, they even got into some mild philosophical debates. The atmosphere was calm, and Todou began to feel completely comfortable around the other man. By the time they finished their subs and coffee, Todou had managed to shove the strange feeling he'd been having to the very back of his mind.

"That was a lot of fun." Todou smiled as they left the café.

"Yes. I can't wait until next time." Ijuuin agreed, that strange smile present on his face as he walked around the front of his car, turning to face Todou.

"Yeah, nex- Kyo!" The younger man jumped into action, grabbing Ijuuin by his cardigan, pulling him out of the way as a car speed past, cutting it far to close to the sides of the road reserved for parking.

Ijuuin fell forward against Todou, who stood steady, glaring after the car that continued to speed straight through a red light. Ijuuin wrapped his arms around the younger man, relaxing against him, eyes wide.

"Are you alright, Mr. Ijuuin?" Todou, his one hand still gripping Ijuuin's cardigan, reached his free hand up to pat the man's back comfortingly.

There was a stretch of silence where they just stood. "You called me Kyo."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, well... I think 'Mr. Ijuuin' would have taken too long to shout, and I kind of needed to get your attention..." Todou rationalized, although in reality his mind had blanked and he'd shouted the first thing that popped up.

"Thank you."

"Ah, I only did it because getting you to a hospital would've taken time away from my next class."

"Really?"

"Of course not, Mr. Ijuuin." Todou rolled his eyes. "Now, can you get into the car without getting hit, or do you want me to drive?"

There was another pause. "Are you even legal to drive?"

"Yeah, I got my licence the day after I was able too, since my parents live out in the country, and I live here in the city. It seemed like a good decision." Todou answered, then realized that the likely reason Ijuuin had been so reluctant to let go was because he was still shaken. "It'll be okay. Let me drive, you relax a bit, okay?" Todou stopped patting the older man's back, and instead embraced him, his other hand still holding tightly onto the cardigan.

Ijuuin pulled out of the embrace, hesitating for a moment, before fetching his keys out of his pocket. "I'm putting a lot of trust in you, Todou."

Taking the keys, Todou smiled brightly. "It's well placed, Mr. Ijuuin."

They moved away from each other, only to be stopped suddenly by the fact that Todou still had a fistful of Ijuuin's cardigan. Ijuuin's features softened, as he took Todou's hand in his own, pulling their hand away from the fabric. "You can let go now, Todou."

"Right, yeah, I know." Todou's face reddened as he hurried around and into the driver's side of the car.

They made it back to the university in plenty of time and without incident. Ijuuin looking more relaxed, almost as though nothing had happened. Todou silently hoped that was the case.

As Todou got out and walked around to hand back the keys he said, " I think I did pretty well for my first time driving since the driver's test."

Ijuuin blinked a couple times, processing what the youth had said. "What?!"

"What?"

"What did you just say?"

"I said 'I hope you have a good day'." Todou lied, knowing full well that Ijuuin had heard him loud and clear the first time.

Ijuuin eyed him warily before cracking a grin, reaching out to push the dark haired youth's bangs back and ruffling up his hair. "What's your schedule look like tomorrow?"

"Hm? Well... Oh, uh, I have classes, then kendo... Then I work until 9pm. But I'm free all day the day after."

"I see... I'll pick you up after your shift ends tomorrow then."

"But I just said I don't get off until 9-"

"Don't worry about it, Todou. I'll be needing your help with something tomorrow, and that time is as good as any. See you tomorrow."

"Alright, I guess..." Todou frowned. What could Ijuuin possibly need help with that late at night?

* * *

The next night Todou was too concerned about Misaki to properly prepare himself for whatever Ijuuin might have had planned. The green eyed brunette hadn't shown up to any of his classes, and the one phone call that had been picked up, had been answered by someone Todou had assumed was Misaki's landlord, and they refused to tell Todou anything, and instead told him not worry before abruptly hanging up.

The moment he was off work, he phoned Misaki's number again, and this time to his relief, Misaki picked up.

"Hello?"

"Misaki! Are you okay? I've been worried about you all day. I called early but someone else answered."

"Ehh, that was probably my landlord... A- anyways, I'm fine, just a mild cold and Usag- Mr. Usami overreacted and forced me to stay home all day. Did I miss anything?"

"No, not really. But I'm glad you're okay, I mean you were acting pretty strange yesterday now that I think about it..."

"Yeah... Oh yeah! About yesterday, um... What- what exactly were you doing with Mr. Ijuuin? Was he the one you were going out to lunch with?"

"Uh, yeah... I- I'm actually seeing him again tonight... I don't really know what for exactly but..." Todou trailed off, then began regretting confiding in his friend when he was answered with a long pause.

"Be careful around him, Todou." Misaki finally replied, his tone sounding unusually grave. "Alright, anyways, I've gotta go before the warden yells at me for not resting." There was another short pause, and Todou almost hung up. "I mean it, Todou. Be careful."

The conversation ended there with Todou frowning, the line buzzing in his ear as he stood in front of the main entrance of his workplace. The off feeling he'd managed to forget about for almost a full twenty four hours resurfacing in his gut. Maybe Misaki was just trying to mess with him... Or maybe...

Todou jumped, almost throwing his phone when it began buzzing and ringing next to his ear. "H-hello?"

"Todou, where are you? I'm outside, but I don't see you. Did something happen?"

Todou was caught off guard by the concern put into that last sentence. "Uh, no, no. I'm coming out right now. See you in a sec." Todou hung up, sliding his phone into his bag and exiting into the late evening.

Ijuuin stood leaning against the passenger side's door, a content look on his face as he waited. "I was beginning to think you might have stood me up." He said with a laugh, though his eyes weren't laughing. He looked... Almost anxious.

"Yeah, sorry about that... Shall we be going?"

Ijuuin frowned momentarily at Todou's quick change in topic and demeanour, but decided to over look it, opening the door for he younger man, then closing it after he'd slipped in. He then walked cautiously over to the driver's side,believing in quickly. "I don't understand why they don't have more carparks."

"Japan is only so big, Mr. Ijuuin. I don't think we have any room for more carparks."

Ijuuin made a displeased sound in the back of his throat as he pulled out onto the street.

It wasn't until they were almost to Ijuuin's flat that Todou thought to ask where they were going. "You still haven't told me."

"My place."

"Oh... Wait, why?" It seemed a little late for another dinner... Also if it were that, Todou was certain Ijuuin would have said so... So what else was there?

 _Hm... '9 is as good as anytime'... Mr. Ijuuin did look pretty happy to hear that I'd be free all of tomorrow... Wait! Maybe he wants a sleepover? Awh, but I don't have anything with me except the work clothes I'm wearing and what I changed out of... Hm..._

"You're making that face again, Todou." Ijuuin smirked at the youth in the rear view mirror.

"Oh, am I? Sorry." Todou said, forcing his features to go blank.

Ijuuin chuckled, taking one hand off the wheel to push Todou's dark hair back and ruffle it up. "Again, I never said it was a bad thing."

"I never said you said it was a bad thing." Todou pointed out, his cheeks gaining a rosy shade at the brunette's touch.

"True enough." Ijuuin agreed, placing his hand back on the wheel. "We're here."

* * *

Ijuuin closed the door behind the younger man, taking off his own shoes and taking off a different cardigan from yesterday's, then lead Todou into the sitting room which wasn't nearly as clean as Ijuuin may have remembered leaving it. "I apologize for the mess."

"It's no problem. You should see my room when I forget where something is." Todou replied, sitting down on the least messy spot of the sofa before looking up at Ijuuin the most flawlessly naïve expression. "So, what's up?"

Ijuuin cleared away everything on the couch before sitting down and placing a hand over the large envelope at sat on the coffee table. "I would like your help with something. You see, my editor is away on a business trip and won't be back until either tomorrow or the day after. I have since decided, that instead of waiting, or faxing this to him, I would- hopefully with your help, edit the storyboard for _The-Kan_ 's next issue before his return."

The youth blinked a few times before his face lit up with overly determined expression graced his perfect face. "I have no idea how to edit, but I will do my best!"

Ijuuin smiled happily as he took the unedited storyboard out of the envelope, putting half into Todou's eagerly waiting hands, and keeping the other half for himself to look over. "Alright. Now, I don't expect any professional work from you, of course, but any mistakes you find, such as misuse of grammar, a misplaced line, etc. feel free to correct, or point out for me to correct. Again, I don't exp-"

"This part needs to go, the line is way too cliché, even coming from this character- oh and over here you might want to try a more muted angle. Also, you see this part? Cut it, it's overall unnecessary and provides nothing for the reader." Todou's face remained serious as he tore the storyboard apart, causing Ijuuin to lean away from him - literally - in shock.

"Well, for someone that said they had no idea what they're doing..."

"Hm?" Todou cocked his head to the side, the look of pure naïveté back on his face. "I thought this stuff was just obvious?"

Ouch. That certainly stung the ego a bit. "Oh. Really now..."

Todou's expression shattered as he began to apologize profusely. "Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean that to sound so horrible! Uh, um... Here, let me try to explain myself, um... Okay," the younger man took a deep breath before powering through an explanation. "So, back when you invited Misaki and I over, I remember looking through this particular contemplation of half-finished half-edited manuscripts, some real quality content that I remember quite well. Now if you add that to all the other knowledge about your work for _The-Kan_ that I have in my head, I have a pretty good idea of how the flow of your work goes, and where you make common mistakes, like here for example-"

"That's the line you said was too 'cliché'."

"- Correct, and it is. It's an incredibly shitty one-liner. Overused to the extreme. And this also isn't the first time you've done something like this. I remember, specifically, back when I was looking through a fan book and you had multiple scenes quite like this one that all had the same thing in common, shitty one-liners. The thing is, in everyone of the final pieces, said lines were always replaced with more unique and original lines, no doubt because these lines suck, to be frank.

"Also, this part here with the 'dramatic'-" Todou made little air quotes with his fingers before continuing, "- angle reminds of that one I saw in a sneak peak piece in a magazine that featured an unfinished manuscript. Cross-referencing that with the finished scene from the manga, the angle was scrapped and replaced with an angle that, although was more common, was a lot easier on the viewer and helped with the flow of the story- in my opinion.

"Something else I've noticed is you like to reuse a lot of past content, like some situations are practically replicas of past ones, or in this case..." The younger man continued to go through the storyboard, page after page of it, explaining what was wrong with each mistake he found, eventually picking up a pencil and circling them, writing small notes along the margin. There were moments where even got up to peruse the wall length bookshelves to backup his statements- and when he couldn't find the right book on the shelves, he didn't hesitate to go searching through the various piles of books and other things that cluttered the sitting room floor until he found what he was looking for.

"See here? Now look over here, what do you notice?"

"This one has a smoother transition between its scenes."

"Mhmm, and why do you think that is?"

"It's the line they're saying here, isn't it?"

"Close..." The younger man dragged on the word as took the pencil he had tucked behind his ear. "But also consider this-" he drew a large X over the entire page.

Ijuuin scowled at his actions. "How could you do that?!"

The dark haired youth shrugged, yawning tiredly. "I did only what you refuse to, Mr. Ijuuin. If you don't think so, then go ahead and read it over without this portion. If you still think I'm wrong, then don't hesitate to erase the 'x'."

Ijuuin took the paper lovingly from the little monster's hands. _There is no way... No way at all that that entire part was an issue... He's just messing with me... Yeah... Mmm..._

"Okay, fess up, you _have_ done this before, haven't you?"

"Nope." Todou yawned again, rubbing his eyes. "I guess I just now your style- or the style of your editor maybe... I dunno."

"Some how I can't believe that that's it. You're doing too well for it to be something as simple as that... It's ridiculous. I must admit, I'm also a bit jealous."

Todou shrugged and yawned again, laying his head back against the sofa, closing his eyes.

"What are you doing?" Ijuuin eyed frowned, though he could feel his own eyelids growing a bit heavy.

"I'm only taking... A short rest..." He yawned again, before sighing.

"I don't think so! We've come to far to slack off now, up, up!" Ijuuin shook the youth's knee until he reopened his eyes. "There are only eight more pages. Come on, you keep at it, I'll go make some coffee."

Todou blew a raspberry, but other then that took the storyboard back without complaint. "Why is this so important, anyways? Aren't you basically putting your editor out of job by editing it yourself?"

"Not really, besides, I want to wipe that smug look off Shizukuishi's face just once. He always makes me feel like such a child whenever he starts pointing out my mistakes." Ijuuin admitted as he headed into the kitchen.

"But isn't that basically what you're making me do right now?"

"Not really. You're being far more pleasant about decimating the one thing I've ever loved. And far better company then that cranky..."

"What was that last part? I couldn't hear you!"

"Nothing." Ijuuin shouted back from the kitchen as he filled up the kettle before placing it on the stove and turning on the burner. He found that movement was doing an alright job of walking him up a bit.

Todou on the other hand was beginning to nod off as he tried to focus on the storyboard in front of him. _Come on, man! This is legit the rawest_ The-Kan _material you will ever hold! How can you be falling asleep like this?_

Maybe because he'd been staring at it nonstop for over an hour. Something's do loose their magic over time.

In the end, despite his best attempts, he found his head falling to the side, his eyes dropping shut. His arms grew slack, his grip on the papers in his lap loosening.

Ijuuin eyed the boys exposed neck as he walked back into the sitting room. Looking down at his relatively cold hands, a wicked smile crossed his lips as he placed a cold hand against the youth's neck. To his dismay, Todou did was scrunch up his neck and slide down the couch. "No." He mumbled.

Ijuuin sighed, shaking his head, the boy probably wasn't used to staying up so late into the night. He walked around to sit back down on the sofa, sliding the storyboard out from under Todou's grasp. Before looking over the half edited page, he found himself eyeing the youth's sleeping form. It certainly left a lot to his imagination.

Todou sighed in his sleep, his head sliding across the back of the couch until it smacked against the arm rest of the sofa, succeeding in waking him, where cold hands had failed.

"Good morning."

The groggy eyed youth jumped up off the couch, an almost scare expression across his face. "Morning!? I'm so sorry, Mr. Ijuuin! I swear I only fell asleep a moment ago!" He cried, bowing his head so quickly that Ijuuin was certain the youth may have given himself whiplash.

Ijuuin chuckled, reaching up to ruffle up the dark hair on Todou's bowed head. "I was joking, it isn't even one in the morning yet."

Todou went stiff. He wasn't certain if he was supposed to be happy about that or not. "Oh." He said, settling back down on the couch.

"So, how much further have you gotten?" Ijuuin asked.

"Hm? Ah, yes... I- um... Shit!" Todou began to look around for the storyboard he was certain had been on his lap.

"Looking for this?"

Todou looked at the storyboard that Ijuuin held up with a broken expression. "Oh." He said in one of the most defeated, betrayed tones that Ijuuin had ever heard.

"I'm sorry, Todou, I-"

"It's totally fine, besides-" Todou gave him a huge gran as he took the storyboard back from the artist. "- I'm glad you're here to see my next edit." He smiled brightly as he drew a large, crude x over an entire page, causing Ijuuin to legitimately cringe.

Heartless.

"Would you like me to explain why that had to be done?"

Ijuuin stared into the soft brown eyes of a literal demon, shaking his head. "No thank you, I should be checking on the kettle."

"Mm." Todou mimicked the man's favourite response, a near acidic smile painted across his lips. Once the manga artist fled back to the kitchen, Todou released a sigh, turning back to his 'work'. Flipping to the next page, he cracked his neck, pulling at the collar of his work shirt.

When Ijuuin returned, he froze at the entrance of the sitting room, an expected scene unfolding before him. Todou stood up with his shirt being pulled up over his head, perfectly exposing the finely toned stomach underneath, as well as the beginning of a trail of dark hair that lead southwards.

"Mr. Ijuuin, are you alright?" Todou's voice filled with concern as he let his work shirt drop down beside his bag. Pulling his undershirt down over his exposed stomach. "You look a little red."

"Fine, I am quite fine." Ijuuin cleared his throat, heading over to the coffee table to place down the two mugs before sitting back down, picking up the part of the story board that Todou had been editing as a distraction. He gave it his full attention until he saw Todou's hand being placed on the couch cushion beside his leg out of the corner of his eye. Looking up from the paper, the dark haired youth was leaning in until their face was a mere few centimetres from his own, and then they placed their other hand against his forehead.

"You feel a little warm, are you sure you're okay?"

Ijuuin swallowed and nodded. "I'm fine. It is summer, so it's bund to get at least a little warm in here."

"Yes, of course." If Todou was dissatisfied by that answer, he didn't show it as he sat back down, just a bit closer then he had been before. Taking up the last few pages of the storyboard, he seemed to put all his focus into it, only pausing every now and then to reach forward and take a sip out of the coffee mug. "Thanks for the coffee, by the way."

"It's no problem." He silently cursed himself at the voice crack he had. Clearing his throat he changed the subject. "You know, I don't know if I should be happy that you've point all these out, or extremely depressed that even an amateur can tear apart my work like this."

Todou gave an unenthusiastic shrug. If he were to be completely honest, he didn't think he found nearly as many mistakes as Ijuuin was implying. Silence hung in the air as Todou flipped to the third last page he had left. Taking a brief moment to eye his wristwatch he smirked. "I honestly can't remember the last time I stayed up so late."

"Really? I assume university has been rather easy for you then."

Todou shrugged again. "I guess, yeah. It isn't quite what everyone made it out to be- but I guess I've always been better at prioritizing then most."

"Mm."

More silence. Todou began to zoning out as he made it to the second last page, until he got the creeping suspicion he was being watched. Looking out of the corner of his eye, his gaze locked with Ijuuin's for moment, before Todou looked back at the storyboard, though he was certain Ijuuin hadn't done the same. It was a few more minutes of mild awkwardness before Todou cleared his throat and asked the question that had been nagging him for awhile. "Why did you actually invite me over? I mean, what would you have done if I'd refused to help you?"

"I would've taken you home. To be honest, I invited you over so I could get to know your character better, your personality. The fact that you've actually been useful was never really something I'd expected. I'm astounded, actually."

Todou didn't pause in his edited as he listened to the man talk. "Oh."

"Hm. Well, now that all my cards are on the table, tell me, what did you think I invited you over for?"

Todou felt his face flush involuntarily as he drew his knees up, continuing to edit. "Nothing. I wasn't expecting a thing. Nope, not me."

"Oh, come now. All you've done is invoke my curiosity."

His blush grew more furiously, spreading to the tips of his ears. "Promise not to laugh, or anything?"

Todou closed his eyes as silence filled he room, and he curled his body up into a tight ball. "Hm." That one vocalization caused his to turn his face toward the other man, who took the opportunity to brush back his bangs and ruffle his hair. "I will make no such promises, Todou."

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** **Ha ha... Yeah... So... I believe someone wanted a longer chapter?**

 **Anyways! So here we have the newest update! I'm going apologize now because there is a large possiblity that the next chapter is going to take awhile... But anyhow! A big thank you to all my reviewers, favouriters, and followers! You all really make my day and give me the boost I need to keep writing this, thank you!**

 **Also, I recently put together a spotify playlist called '** _Will You Love Me? Playlist_ **' (yeah, I know, über original). It's filled with songs that I personally feel contrast well with the story/ where I plan to go with the story. Just a little tidbit!**

 ** _And another thing!_ I find it absolutely  astonishing how many people want me to have Ijuuin be this big evil person that will cause harm to Todou. Well, I only have one thing to say to that,**

 **As If I'll Make It That Simple.**


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